A detail of ancient archaeology in the British Museum: An Assyrian formal scene, of about 865-860 BC from the ancient city of Nimrud. In one scene the king appears as conqueror with bow and arrows, flanked by guman attendants but here, we see a detail of a hand holding a purse-like bag, the arm adorned with jewellery on the wrist. Neo-Aramaic writing can be seen at the bottom of this scene depicting royal life. Assyrian kings competed to outdo each other with carved reliefs on interior walls. This tradition began with King Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883-859BC) at Nimrud. Nimrud is the later Arab name for the ancient Assyrian city originally known as Kalhu, located 30 kilometres (20 mi) south of the city of Mosul, and 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of the village of Selamiyah in the Nineveh plains in northern Mesopotamia.